


Shape Of Love

by Rumpelstiltskin_wait



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - In Storybrooke | Cursed, Belle Remembers, F/M, WIP
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-12
Updated: 2015-03-12
Packaged: 2018-03-17 12:15:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3529049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rumpelstiltskin_wait/pseuds/Rumpelstiltskin_wait
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Belle fell asleep in her true loves arms, but awoke alone in a strange new world. She knew she wasn't supposed to remember. But she did. Belle remembered everything, and for the next 28 years she would remember, but her true love would not. Unless she found a way to change it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shape Of Love

_Somewhere in a strange land called “Maine”, Lady Belle of Avonlea sits in a diner._  
  
Scratch that.

_The Dark Ones Maid sits in a diner._  
  
No.

_The Dark Ones true love sits in a diner._

Belle sighed and smudged away her neat writing –yet again- from the page of her journal with the pink nub at the end of her “Pencil”, and tried again. 

_Somewhere in a strange land called “Maine”, Belle French sits in a diner._

Yes. That’s who she was here after all, wasn’t it? _Belle French_ ; It had a nice ring to it.   

She closed her journal, sitting back in the bright red booth of Granny’s Diner.  

It was still a struggle, adapting to this new life; this new world. But of course Belle would adapt as best she could, just like she always did. She had adapted to life after the ogre attacks, she had adapted to life after her mother’s death, and she had adapted to life with Rumplestiltskin- although she recalled that one being the easiest. 

 

\----------------------------------------

 

Living with Rumplestiltskin hadn’t been easy at first; he was The Dark One after all. But after not too long, Belle found she quite enjoyed not only her life in his castle, but his company as well.

Yes, he had been harsh in the beginning, hiding behind dragon scale vests and dark quips, but it didn’t take long before she saw a much softer –even kind- side of him. First when he spared the life of the thief, and the soft smile that lit up his features after she had hugged him for it. Then she saw it again when he gave her the extraordinary gift of that glorious library, even with his dismissing the gift as “just another room to clean, dearie.”

After that it became a regular occurrence for him to drop his act around her. He stopped wearing his large dragon hide coat around the castle, forgoing it for silk shirts and brocade waist coats. And when he spoke to her –which was more often now- he didn’t use his usual twittering high pitched tone, instead he used a voice that was that of man, warm and soft; a voice reserved only for her. Then she had fallen off that ladder…and he had caught her. He had held her in his arms and looked into her eyes, and in that moment there was no doubt in her mind. She loved this strange man. And by the look in his eyes, he felt something for her too. But it went no further, he only sat her down –none too gently- and ran away to his tower…just like he always did.

Despite his running away, after that day she noticed that him staying longer and longer after tea to talk to her. Their conversations sometimes lasted for hours.  He would ask about whatever book she was currently enthralled in, listening intently as she spoke of the characters as if she knew them, and he told her stories of his dealings –good and bad. But her favorite conversations were the ones when he told of far off lands and daring adventures and powerful foes, just like the stories in her books. Only these stories were better, because they were real, and they were Rumplestiltskins.  

Belle would have never thought there would come a day that she would turn down a good book before bed, but she found herself doing just that night after night. Instead choosing to spend this time curled up on the settee in front of the fireplace in the great hall, next to Rumplestiltskin, speaking in gentle, hushed tones late into the night. During these moments they didn’t touch other than accidental brushes here and there…a brush of her foot on his leg, or an overlapping of fingers in the space between their bodies. Even if she wished she could move to close those inches between them, lay her head on his chest and listen to the beat of his heat, or simply take his hand in hers, she never did. Little did she know, that would all change very quickly. 

 

  
The day that everything changed had started out fairly normal; or as normal as possible when living with a wizard. Belle awoke to the muffled sound of shouted curses followed by the shattering of glass. That should have worried her, but after the first few weeks in her new home she came to consider this occurrence normal. 

“So he’s having one of those days” She muttered to herself as she laced her bodice, preparing to face a temperamental Dark One.  

When she had first arrived at The Dark Castle she had tried her best to avoid Rumplestiltskin when he was in one of his black moods, choosing to hide away in the kitchens or leaving the castle all together to hang clothes on the line. It wasn’t like that anymore though; so much had changed since then. Now when he was in one of his black moods, she would brew him his favorite tea, make his favorite pastries –one of the few things she knew how to bake-, and attempt to draw him out of his tower. 

On this particular day though, as she was placing the dainty little pastries onto the tea tray, she heard footsteps descending from the tower. _I didn’t even have to convince him._ She thought, smiling. 

“Rumplestiltskin! I made your favorite…I thought you could use it.” She said when he came into sight, seating himself at one of the two chairs at the small kitchen table with an audible groan. 

“Thank you, dearie…How do you always know when to do this?”

“Do what?” Belle replied, setting the tea and pastries in the middle of the small round table. 

“All... _this_ ” He said, waving a hand at the spread. 

“Well. The sound of cursing and throwing things does carry quite well.” She smirked, pouring steaming tea into two teacups –one chipped, of course. 

“Oh…Is that how you know every time?” He questioned, watching his twiddling his thumbs in his lap. 

“There’s that, and you tend to lock yourself away in your tower when you get into these moods”  

“I am _not_ in a _mood!”_   He growled, trying to sound threatening, and failing miserably.

“Mmhmm…whatever you say.” She smirked again, pulling the second chair nearer to his side of the table and seating herself in it. 

Her close proximity seemed to have startled him, and she inwardly giggled at the way his brow knit and his eyes widened into what she referred to as his ‘lost puppy face’ –only in her head of course. She cleared her throat then, bringing him back to the moment. “Anyway... What has you in such a… _not-mood?”_

Rumplestiltskin shot her a glare over the chipped rim of his teacup and sipped at the slightly spiced liquid to hide the smirk that had forced its way to his lips. _Damn this infernal woman! Why must she be so…witty!?_ He mentally cursed himself for not being immune to her charms. 

“I saw that!” Belle exclaimed, pointing one slender finger at him. 

“Saw what, dearie?” He smirked again. _Dammit! Why can’t I stop smiling!?_

”Rumplestiltskin. You smiled. You’re smiling right now!” She laughed, jabbing him in the chest with her outstretched finger. “You could just admit that I’m funny” she jested, stealing one of his pastries as she withdrew her hand. 

“You’re not, _not_ funny…” now he was really smiling, his mood changed completely from when he first decided to come to the kitchen.   

Belle narrowed her eyes at him, then smiled and shook her head, taking a small bite of the apple filled pastry in her hand.

Quickly, the smile that had graced Rumpelstiltskin’s lips –and eyes- was gone, a serious, almost admiring gaze taking its place. 

“Thank you, Belle…For this…” He lowered his eyes, hair falling in front of his face slightly. “You’re much too kind to an old monster.”  

“Everyone needs someone to be there on the bad days…” She said quietly, gently moving her chair closer to his until their knees were nearly touching. “And you are not a monster, Rumplestiltskin.” She whispered, ducking her head, trying to catch his eyes. Then her hand seemed to move of its own volition, reaching up and tucking his fallen hair behind his ear, brushing her hand over his temple as she did. To her surprise, he leaned into the light touch. Without a thought she settled her palm just above his jaw, stroking her thumb over his cheek. “ _You are not a monster_.” She whispered again.

Finally, Rumplestiltskin lifted his eyes to meet hers, narrowing them questioningly. “Why? Why do you insist that I’m not a monster?” he whispered, leaning closer to her face. 

Belle stuttered under the scrutiny of his intense stare “I- Because…Because you’re kind to me. You are _always_ kind to me.” She replied in a whisper.

He shook his head, pulling back. “No…I have not been kind to you! I took you away from your family! From your home! _Only a monster would do that…_ ” He insisted, closing his eyes and lowering his head once again, and Belle could feel his jaw clench under her fingers.  

“Rumplest-“ 

“ _No._ ” He shook his head again, this time more vigorously. 

“No what?” She questioned, running her thumb over his cheek once more. 

“Belle… I want you to leave.” 

She jerked her hand away at that. “What- What do you mean leave!?” 

“I’m releasing you. You may return home. You may return to your family. Consider our deal…completed. The ogres shan’t return.”  He stood up then, clasping his hands behind his back and staring off behind her. 

“What if I don’t want to leave?” She whispered

“Belle-“

“No, Rumplestiltskin… _This_ is my home.” She said, standing from her chair and taking a step forward until there were mere inches between them. “Answer me. What if I want to stay?” 

Silence. He took a step back, and when he met her eyes she swore she saw the shine of tears forming, but as quickly as they came, he blinked and they were gone, and so was he. A cloud of purple smoke left in his wake. She could have screamed. She could have screamed and sobbed and broke something. But she didn’t, because moments after the suffocating smoke cleared, she heard something; the creaking wood of the spinning wheel in the great hall. He had run, but he hadn’t left her completely, he hadn’t locked himself away in his tower.

_He just needs a moment._ She thought as she began to clear the table of tea things and the small mess of pastry crumbs they had left.   
After she had cleared the table, and washed the few dishes they had used, she decided it had been long enough. She needed to talk to him before he ran off to his tower again. Making her way towards the great hall she was glad to hear his wheel still creaking away, signaling that Rumplestiltskin was still within her reach.   
  
She heard his wheel slow and saw his hands twitch on the smooth wood when she entered the room. It seemed it was taking too long to walk across the large room, and for a moment she feared he would disappear again before she made it to him. But he didn’t disappear; he just kept spinning, albeit slower than usual. Finally she reached the platform where his wheel was placed, stepping behind him. “Rumplestiltskin? Can we please talk about what just happened?” she asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. Still he said nothing, only slowed his wheel slightly. “I’ll take your silence as a yes then” She stated matter-of-factly. Finally he stopped the wheel completely, but left his hands in place, poised to begin again. 

He didn’t resist when she reached for the thread in his hand, taking it from him completely and setting it off to the side. And he didn’t move when she sat facing him on the bench of his spinning wheel. But the moment she rested her hand on his leather-clad thigh his act failed him. His eyes darted from her hand, to her skirt, to his feet, to the cabinet across the room, anywhere but her eyes. 

“Rumple please look at me” She pleaded

She wasn’t sure where that name had come from, it had just slipped out, but she liked it. And it must have been the right thing to say because finally _Rumple_ lifted his gaze to meet her own.

“Why do you want to stay?” he breathed, leaning so close that she could feel his warm breathe fan out over her face, sending a shiver down her spine.  She didn’t know if she could speak with him this close. She felt she was going to simply crumble as he cocked his head and examined her eyes with even more intensity than before. 

“Because I…I“ She stuttered. She didn’t even know what she was going to say. She knew what she felt, but she couldn’t even begin to put it into words. So she closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath and continued. “Because, Rumplestiltskin... I cannot even begin to imagine being without you. Because while the idea of seeing my friends and family again is wonderful, the idea of never seeing you again makes my heart ache. Because this is my _home_.” She paused; gathering her courage for what would come next.  “Because, Rumplestiltskin...I love you.” 

He said nothing, but the change in his gaze said everything. Gone was the intense, scrutinizing stare, replaced with something softer; love. That was all the confirmation she needed.

Her gaze flicked from his eyes, to his lips, and back to his eyes as she leaned in. Neither of them broke the gaze until their lips met.

Warm and soft, his lips tasted of spiced tea, apple pastry, and something coppery that she could only identify as magic. Gently, he moved his lips against hers, the lightest of brushes, just barely pulling at her top lip, and he felt her smile. Then a strange feeling came over him; he was tingling. Why was he tingling? Should he be tingling? He couldn’t form a coherent thought with Belles warm lips still pressed against his own, so with all the will power he still had, he gently ended the kiss. 

Belle pulled away, slowly opening her eyes, then the smile melted from her lips and she gasped. 

“What-what’s happening?” Rumplestiltskin muttered, blinking as the tingling spread from his lips to his eyes. Suddenly Belle was holding him with a hand on either side of his head. 

“Your skin! Rumple your skin is _changing_!” she gasped, running a hand over his hair. “True loves kiss” she breathed

“What did you say!?” He shouted, rising from his stool, ignoring it as it toppled over. 

“T-true loves kiss, Rumple…True loves kiss can break any curse.” She replied shakily, quickly standing from the bench. 

“Who told you that!?” He questioned, even louder.

“No one! I’ve only read about it!” She tried to reassure him, to calm him, but she could tell she wasn’t getting through to him. 

“Oh! of course! No one helped you! This is all _you!_ Is this you being the hero and killing the beast!?” He was practically screaming now, pointing an accusing finger at her. 

“Rumple please! This means it’s true love!” she pleaded, grasping his hand between both of hers. “Why don’t you believe me?” 

Suddenly he was gripping her by the arms, fingers digging into her flesh. “Because no one, _NO ONE_ , could ever love me!!” he roared, shaking her violently. 

“Please! Please Rumple STOP!” She begged. “ _I_ love you! Please Rumple! Please believe me!” She was sobbing now, tears pouring down her red cheeks. 

He released her and took a step back, eyes wide. “I hurt you.” He breathed, eyes trained on the fingertip shaped bruises slowly forming on Belles upper arms. He let out a strangled sob, sinking to the ground on his knees. Belle followed him down, throwing herself in front of him, immediately pulling him to her. He fell limp into her lap, arms wrapping around her waist as he sobbed into her skirts. She held him and rocked from side to side, nuzzling her face against him, whispering love into his hair, reassuring him that it was okay, that she forgave him, that everything would be okay. 

After what could have been minutes or hours of holding each other passed, Rumple finally lifted his head. Belle did the same, meeting his tear filled eyes with her own. His eyes were pleading, for what, she didn’t know. But she knew one thing; she loved him, and that was all that matter right then. So she placed her hands on either side of his face, looked into his eyes, and said the only thing she was sure of. “I love you Rumplestiltskin. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anything.” 

“yes.” He breathed, placing his hand on the side of her head. “yes, and I love you too” he whispered shakily, pulling her head to his shoulder, nuzzling into her neck. “I love you too” he whispered again, barely audible. “ _So, so much_ ” 

 

That night, with only the light of the fire, he told her everything. He told her about his son, about his curse. He told her why he needed his power; to find his son. He told her about the curse the Queen was planning. And she listened, just listened and let him spill everything that he had never told another soul. And while the Queen’s curse scared her, what scared her more was the fact that she had almost –albeit unknowingly- taken his power, nearly prevented him from ever getting back to his Baelfire. 

She made a vow to him that night; a vow that whatever happened after that dark curse swept over their land, she would do everything in her power to help him find his son. The urge to kiss her then was almost unbearable, but he didn’t. He couldn’t kiss her, but he could hold her. So he did what he could, and he held her, and he told her he loved her. And as the firelight dimmed to a glow of red coals, they fell asleep on the settee in each others arms. And for the first time in centuries, Rumplestiltskin slept soundly, thanks to the embrace of his true love.

  
\----------------------------------------

 

“Annnd here’s your tea!” 

Belle jumped, startled out of her memories by the friendly waitress in the very red, very short skirt. “Ah…Thank you-“Belle said, realizing she didn’t know the odd woman’s name. 

“Oh! I didn’t even tell you my name! I’m Ruby.” The waitress said, thrusting her hand out in front of her. 

“I’m Belle.” She replied, shaking Ruby’s hand happily, grateful for the woman’s kindness. 

“Well, nice to meet you Belle! I don’t think I’ve seen you here before, are you new to Storybrooke?” 

_We’re all new to Storybrooke._ Belle mused. “Uhm…Yeah…I guess you could say that.” 

“Oh, you’ll love it here! Listen, I’d love to talk more, but I have to get back to work or granny’s gonna kick my ass. If you’ll be around a little later I’d be happy to show you around town.” 

Belle smiled, she had known this woman for all of 2 minutes, but she felt like she had already found a friend in her. “You would do that? Oh, thank you so much!” 

“Of course! Meet me here at oh…4 o’clock?”

Belle smiled again and nodded. She didn’t have plans of course. She didn’t even know anyone. But now she had a friend, and that was a start.   
  
  
  



End file.
